Image of a long-term care resident and staff member interacting and wearing face coverings

Skip to Content

North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit Logo North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit Logo Print

Contact Us
  • Public Health
    Services
    • Breastfeeding Clinic
    • Community Events and Farmers Markets
    • Dental Clinic
    • Flu Shot
    • Food Safety Certification Training
    • Healthy Babies, Healthy Children
    • Infection Prevention and Control Investigations
    • Inspection Results and Enforcement
    • Needle Syringe Program
    • Parenting Workshops
    • Prenatal Classes
    • Private Drinking Water Testing
    • The Sexual Health Clinic
    • Vaccination Clinics
    • Vaccination Records
    • Vision Screening
  • Health
    Topics
    • Air Quality
    • Alcohol
    • Animal Bites
    • Beach, Lake and Pool Water
    • Breastfeeding
    • Cancer Prevention and Screening
    • Climate Change
    • Dental Health
    • Diseases
    • Drinking Water
    • Emergencies and Being Prepared
    • Flu/Influenza
    • Food Poisoning
    • Food Safety
    • Gambling
    • Healthy Aging
    • Healthy Eating
    • Home Health and Safety
    • Housing and Homelessness
    • Injury Prevention
    • Intimate Partner Violence
    • 2SLGBTQ+
    • Mental Health
    • Naloxone
    • Parenting
    • Perfluoroalkylated Substances (PFAS)
    • Physical Activity
    • Preconception and Pregnancy
    • Prenatal Resources
    • Racism
    • Reducing Weight Bias
    • Sexual Health
    • Sharps
    • Smoking, Vaping and Tobacco
    • Substance Use
    • Vaccinations
    • Youth Engagement – IMPACT
  • Health Professionals
    and Partners
    • Camp Providers
    • Child Cares
    • COVID-19 Healthcare Providers, Hospitals and Long-Term Care
    • Designated Officers
    • Emergency Management
    • Group Home and Shelter Administrators
    • Health Care Professionals
    • Health Care Providers COVID-19 Vaccine Information
    • Letter from the Medical Officer of Health
    • Long-Term Care and Retirement Homes
    • Municipal Resources
    • Ontario Naloxone Program (ONP) Distributing Agencies and First Responders
    • Report an Overdose
    • Schools
    • Teaching Kitchen
  • Community Data
    and Reports
    • Chronic Diseases
    • Environmental Health
    • Health Behaviours
    • Housing and Homelessness
    • Indirect Impacts of COVID-19
    • Infectious Diseases
    • Injuries
    • Mortality
    • Nipissing Parry Sound Public Health Atlas
    • Oral Health
    • Population Demographics
    • Reproductive and Child Health
    • Substance Use
    • Well-being and Mental Health
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Accessibility
    • Board of Health
    • Careers and Placements
    • Contact Us
    • News and Events
    • Personal Health Privacy Policy
    • Programs and Services
    • RFPs and Tenders
Search Button

Back To Top

Communicable Disease Outbreaks in Long Term Care Settings

HomeHealth Professionals and PartnersLong-Term Care and Retirement HomesCommunicable Disease Outbreaks in Long-Term Care ...
  • Open new window to share this page via Facebook Facebook
  • Open new window to share this page via Twitter Twitter
  • Open new window to share this page via LinkedIn LinkedIn
  • Email this page Email

Germs can spread rapidly in group settings such as a long-term care home. Since many diseases are contagious before symptoms appear, it is often difficult to prevent their spread.

What are we required to do?

Long-term care homes are obligated to report suspect outbreaks to the Communicable Disease Control Program at the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit by telephone as soon as possible in the following situations:

  • 2 or more residents are ill with gastro-enteric symptoms such as vomiting and/or diarrhea within 48 hours
  • 2 or more residents are ill with acute respiratory illness (ARI) in a geographic area (floor, unit), within 48hrs, or more than one unit/floor having a case of ARI within 48 hrs, or one laboratory-confirmed case of influenza.

Any further cases may result in a confirmed outbreak.

What questions should we expect to be asked?

The Public Health Nurse (PHN) or Public Health Inspector (PHI) may be asking you several questions, which may include:

  • When did the resident(s) become ill?
  • Are there any staff members with similar illness?
  • What is the total population of residents at the facility, and how are they distributed in the facility?
  • How many staff are absent from the facility today?
  • What main symptoms are the ill residents/staff experiencing?

What happens from here…?

An outbreak may be declared at the facility. You will be given an outbreak number and further outbreak control measures will be discussed.

A Public Health Nurse or Public Health Inspector will monitor the situation by contacting the facility on a daily basis. Recommendations may be made and guidance given on helping limit the spread of the illness.

If you think that you have a: Confirmed Gastroenteric Outbreak or Confirmed Respiratory Outbreak please contact the Communicable Disease Control Program and complete the Outbreak Line Listing form and fax to the CDC program at 705-474-2809.

Where can I get more information?

Contact a member of the Communicable Disease Control Program at 705-474-1400 or 1-800-563-2808 ext 5229, we will be happy to assist you. After hours please page the PHN on-call at 705-474-1400.

Recommendations made by the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit are based on MOHLTC: Control of Gastroenteritis Outbreaks in Long-Term Care Homes , and A Guide to the Control of Respiratory Infection Outbreaks in Long-Term Care Homes.

For further information, please contact the Communicable Disease Control Program staff at 705-474-1400 or 1-800-563-2808, ext 5229 or email us at cdc@healthunit.ca 

Health Professionals and Partners
    • Camp Providers
      Toggle Section Camp Providers Menu
      • Cleaning Recommendations During an Outbreak
    • Child Cares
      Toggle Section Child Cares Menu
      • Reporting and Exclusion Guidelines Child Care
        Toggle Section Reporting and Exclusion Guidelines Child Care Menu
        • Directives de déclaration et d'exclusion
    • COVID-19 Healthcare Providers, Hospitals and Long-Term Care
    • Designated Officers
    • Emergency Management
      Toggle Section Emergency Management Menu
      • Municipalities
      • Personal Preparedness
        Toggle Section Personal Preparedness Menu
        • Emergency Kits
        • Resources
    • Group Home and Shelter Administrators
    • Health Care Professionals
      Toggle Section Health Care Professionals Menu
      • Breastfeeding resources
      • Communicable Disease Control
        Toggle Section Communicable Disease Control Menu
        • C. Difficile
        • MRSA
      • Harm Reduction
      • Immunization Information
      • Influenza Updates
    • Health Care Providers COVID-19 Vaccine Information
    • Letter from the Medical Officer of Health
    • Long-Term Care and Retirement Homes
      Toggle Section Long-Term Care and Retirement Homes Menu
      • Communicable Disease Outbreaks in Long-Term Care Settings
    • Municipal Resources
    • Ontario Naloxone Program (ONP) Distributing Agencies and First Responders
    • Report an Overdose
    • Schools
      Toggle Section Schools Menu
      • School and Classroom Supports
        Toggle Section School and Classroom Supports Menu
        • Body Image at School
        • Hand Hygiene in Schools
        • Healthy Eating at School
        • Immunization in Schools
        • Injury Prevention in Schools
        • Prévention des blessures à l’école
        • Mental Health
        • Oral Health in Schools
        • Physical Activity at School
        • Sexual Health in Schools
        • Tobacco and Substance Use
      • Lending Library and Apps
      • Bibliothéque de prêt
      • Reporting Absenteeism and Infectious Diseases
      • Signalement de l'absentéisme et des maladies infectieuses
      • Vaping - What's the Hype?
        Toggle Section Vaping - What's the Hype? Menu
        • Nicotine and the Brain
        • Addiction
        • The Tobacco Industry
        • From Vaping to Smoking?
        • Flavours
        • Marketing
        • Health Effects
        • The Law - Supplying
        • The Law - Property
      • Trousse d’outils sur le vapotage
        Toggle Section Trousse d’outils sur le vapotage Menu
        • La nicotine et le cerveau
        • Dépendance
        • L’industrie du tabac
        • Du vapotage à la cigarette ?
        • Produits aromatisés
        • Marketing
        • Effets sur la santé
        • La loi – Fournir des produits de vapotage
        • La loi – Endroits où il est interdit de fumer et de vapoter
    • Teaching Kitchen

Contact Us

Subscribe to this page

North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit Footer Logo

  • Website

    • About Us
    • Employment Opportunities
    • News
  • Links

    • Accessibility
    • Privacy
    • Sitemap
    • Feedback Form
  • Resources

    Increase Contrast

Your lifetime partner in healthy living!

Copyright 2022 North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit

By GHD Digital

Browser Compatibility Notification

It appears you are trying to access this site using an outdated browser. As a result, parts of the site may not function properly for you. We recommend updating your browser to its most recent version at your earliest convenience.